Fun and Games
by tidalfire
Summary: A night that starts off as just fun and games gets a little more heated than anyone expected when feelings get involved. Based on an old OTP prompt of a game of Twister that gets a little touchy-feely combined with the classic spin-the-bottle prompt.


"Right hand, yellow."

Lysandra grunted as she tried to shove her arm underneath Aedion, who was already hopelessly tangled on his own. Lysandra managed to slide her fingers over the yellow circle for about three seconds before she collapsed, knocking Aedion down with her.

The laughter that Aelin and Rowan had barely been containing finally sprung free. Aelin leaned back against Rowan's arm as she tipped her head back, howling. The contact let her feel the low rumble of Rowan's laugh on her back. When she tipped her head up to look at him, with his eyes crinkled and dimples showing, it was an effort not to lean further into him and rest her head on his shoulder.

 _Dammit, Aelin_ , she silently scolded herself. Her amusement faded slightly as she reminded herself, for the thousandth time, to maintain boundaries between her and Rowan. They'd been best friends for some time now, and although she certainly had feelings for him, she was afraid he didn't feel the same. Of course, Lysandra had been teasing her about Rowan for months, constantly telling her how much she "shipped" them. But Aelin had decided that if she did tell Rowan how she felt and he didn't return her feelings… No. She couldn't.

Aedion rolled off the mat, still chuckling, and Lysandra stood up and brushed herself off before saying, laughter still in her voice, "I'm not sure who technically won, but I am sure that we both lost." She waved a finger between Rowan and Aelin. "You're up. Let's do this." Lysandra snatched the spinner from Aelin's hands and immediately gave it a hard flick. "Right foot, blue."

Rowan lifted a brow. "You first, princess."

Aelin put a hand on her hip and lifted her chin, but walked over and placed her foot on the blue circle.

"Left foot, blue."

Rowan paced over to the mat and placed his foot on the circle right beside the one Aelin already occupied. His eyes tracked her the whole way, brow still up, and from where he was now standing, she had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. Gods, he looked so smug, and it would be so _easy_ to kiss that smirk off his face.

She quickly looked away as a blush rose to her cheeks.

The game continued, Lysandra calling out the moves and Rowan and Aelin doing their best to not fall down. Which was far more difficult than it sounded, given Aelin's current position with three of her limbs on one color and her remaining hand on a spot in the far corner. She didn't think she would last much longer.

The next move called out had Rowan hovering over her, both feet on one side of the mat and a hand braced next to her. Aelin rolled her eyes.

"What?" He spoke quietly enough that Aelin was pretty sure only she could hear him.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how unfair it is that you get all the easy turns."

They were close enough that his warm breath washed over her face as he spoke. "You're just mad because there's no way for you to cheat in this game." He shot her a sly grin that made thinking difficult. She wished her damn heart would stop fluttering.

"Maybe." She returned his grin with a mischievous smile of her own.

Before Rowan could retort, Aelin felt her hand begin to slip. _Shit_. She locked up her muscles in an effort to keep from falling, but it merely slowed her hand's movement across the mat. After a few moments, she felt her hand finally slide far enough that she knew she was about to fall, and she shut her eyes and braced for the impact. Right as she began to feel her body rush toward the mat, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. Her eyes flew open and she looked down to see Rowan holding her tightly against him. She tried not to let her thoughts linger on the fact that their bodies were pressed against each other, or the feeling of his broad hand on her back.

She lifted her eyes to meet his. Despite her efforts, her mind immediately turned to every inch of his body she could feel against hers. She searched his eyes, the heat of his gaze beginning to course through the rest of her body. Her eyes flicked down to his mouth, and was it just her, or did the arm holding her to him tighten? _Oh, Gods_.

Lysandra cleared her throat. "A noble attempted rescue, but Aelin loses."

Aelin turned her head away, feeling a flush begin to spread across her face. She felt Rowan's eyes on her as his arm slowly loosened before he set her down.

Lysandra threw down the spinner. "Well, I think the others were playing Monopoly, and there's no way in hell that's going well. How about we all play stupid party games?" Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and left the room. Aedion stayed behind for a second, squinting slightly and looking between Rowan and Aelin with an odd expression on his face before following Lysandra.

"Thanks," Aelin heard herself mumble.

Rowan didn't reply. He just gave her a cocky look before extending a hand down to help her up, which she took, brushing herself off.

Everyone was beginning to form a loose circle on the floor, so Aelin decided to follow suit, sitting with her legs crossed across from Dorian.

Rowan sat next to her, close enough so that his knee just barely brushed against her own. She knew she should probably put more space between them, but… she just couldn't bring herself to.

Fenrys walked into the room, a cocky grin on his face. He popped the cap off the bottle he was holding, and downed it within seconds.

Aelin huffed a small laugh. "Gods, do you have to be such a frat boy all the time?"

Fenrys just aimed his grin at her. "Got a problem with it, Galathynius?"

She just rolled her eyes. She knew he'd had a little thing for her for the last couple months, but that didn't mean much given his reputation to chase after every female in a five mile radius.

Lysandra folded her arms in front of her chest and grinned down at everyone. "Alright, rules! Let's keep it simple. Kisses have to last at least three seconds. Whoever the bottle lands on gets to spin next turn. Questions? No? Great. Let's do this." She snatched the now-empty bottle from Fenrys's hands and sat down.

Everyone settled into a circle as Lysandra placed the bottle on the floor and spun it. And then sighed as it landed on Fenrys. Who, of course, responded with his best shit-eating grin. Lysandra rolled her eyes and leaned across the circle. "Alright, fuckboy, let's do this."

"Yes ma'am." Fenrys met her halfway and pressed his lips to hers. He reached for her hip, but his hand got smacked away as soon as it made contact, earning a snicker from Aedion.

Lysandra pulled back, a smirk on her face and a brow raised. "You're cute. Just not my type."

Fenrys just smirked back and gave a little shrug before reaching out and spinning the bottle. It landed on… Aedion. Fenrys barked a laugh. Aedion ran a hand back through his hair before unceremoniously leaning over and kissing Fenrys. He pulled back and took a swig of beer, and when he noticed Fenrys staring at him with slightly raised brows, he simply said, "Not my type, either."

Aelin noticed the small smile on Lysandra's face. And the quick glance Aedion shot her before scooting slightly closer to her.

Aedion spun, getting Dorian. Aedion would have just kissed him and been done with it, but after seeing Manon glaring at him, he decided to fuck with her a bit. He leaned over, put his hand on the back of Dorian's neck, and crushed their lips together. He pulled back. "Try not to look so scandalized." He nudged the bottle closer to Dorian. "Here. You're up." He turned his wolfish smile on Manon, who looked like she would like nothing more than to shred the skin off Aedion's face. Aelin held in a smile.

Dorian spun. His eyes tracked the end of the bottle as it stopped on Fenrys.

Aelin watched as a grin grew and a golden brow lifted. "Aren't I lucky tonight?" Aelin was surprised at how unfazed Fenrys was by Manon's glare, which was now directed at him instead of Aedion. Still nonchalant, Fenrys leaned in to Dorian, spinning the bottle for his next turn as their lips met.

Aelin was trying – and kind of failing – to suppress her laughter when the two separated. She looked over to Rowan, hand covering her smile, and poked him in the shoulder. His face was carefully neutral, his jaw clenched, and eyes aimed at the center of the circle.

She was just beginning to wonder why he didn't seem to find the whole scene as hilarious as she did when she noticed Fenrys's attention now on her. " _Very_ lucky." There was that shit-eating grin again.

Aelin's amusement began to fade. She looked toward the center of the circle. At the bottle. Which was pointing to her.

Her grin fell. "Oh, gods."

Fenrys's grin grew. "Oh, gods, indeed."

From the corner of her eye Aelin could see Rowan slowly clench his hands into fists.

Fenrys noticed, too. "Something bothering you, Whitethorn? Don't worry, you'll get a turn at some point."

Rowan quirked a brow and turned a corner of his mouth up, but the amusement on his face didn't reach his eyes.

Aelin shifted her attention back to Fenrys. Before either of the boys had a chance to start a fight, Aelin leaned over, grabbed Fenrys's shoulder, and pulled his mouth to her own. His lips had just begun to move against hers as he registered what was happening, but then the three seconds was up and Aelin pulled away.

Her lips were still warm from Fenrys's as Aelin reached out for the bottle. She spun it, trying not to hope too hard for who it might land on. Sure, Fenrys was a good kisser, but… He wasn't the one she wanted.

The one she wanted was currently staring down the end of a bottle that was pointing right at him.

She turned to him. "Looks like Fenrys was right. You get your turn after all." She hoped she looked confident and cocky, not as nervous as she felt. Gods, her heart was pounding, and she couldn't decide if she wanted to stare into his dark green eyes or at his mouth. Her eyes fell to his mouth.

His face remained carefully blank, but something gleamed in his eyes. "What are you waiting for?" His voice was deep, slightly rough.

She wasn't sure which of them leaned in, but the next moment their lips were together and she was losing herself in him. His lips were so warm and soft, and _Gods_ , this felt so _right_. She felt a broad hand settle on her hip and she leaned farther into him. The memory of how his body felt against hers earlier tonight came rushing back, and she couldn't help how her back arched slightly. In the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware that time was passing around them. Then Rowan's tongue brushed against her bottom lip and she stopped thinking altogether.

Someone in the room cleared their throat. Everything suddenly came crashing back and Aelin remembered what was happening. And how much longer than three seconds they'd been kissing. She abruptly pulled away.

Lysandra was staring at her with an eyebrow up and a knowing look in her eyes. "How about we get the fire pit started? Aedion? Want to help me?" Lysandra stood and walked outside, Aedion trailing behind her, the others getting up as well.

Aelin bit her lip. _Gods, she could still taste him_. "Um, yeah, I'm just going to go change into something warmer." She didn't know who she was talking to. Rowan was staring intently at his hands.

She tore her eyes off of him and quickly walked to her bedroom. It was impossible to concentrate on anything but Rowan. And how kissing him felt. And how she wanted to do it again. _Shit_. She raised a hand to her forehead.

Aelin wasn't sure how much time had passed before she heard a soft knock coming from her doorway. She spun around to see Rowan leaning against her doorframe. His hands were in his pockets, and his head was lowered, eyes on the ground. "Aelin, I'm sorry if… if it was too much back there." He lifted his gaze to meet hers. Rutting hell, those _eyes_. "I didn't mean to make things weird between us."

She sucked in a breath, voice caught in her throat.

Rowan pushed himself off the doorframe and came into the room, softly shutting the door behind him. "Aelin? Are you… mad? Talk to me."

She loosed a breathy laugh. "Gods, no, I'm not mad. I've actually… wanted to do that for a long time."

Rowan tilted his head to the side and began to close the space between them until he was within arm's reach. "Do what… kiss me?"

Aelin bit her lip and gave a small nod. He searched her eyes, his stare pinning her in place. She felt an arm slide around her waist, and then he was tugging her against him. His eyes dipped to her lips. "I thought it was just me." And then he captured her mouth with his own.

She couldn't suppress the small moan that slipped out. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. This time, when his tongue ran across her lip, she didn't hesitate to open for him. Another little groan escaped, but she couldn't bring herself to be embarrassed at the noises she was making as his tongue swept through her mouth.

A warm hand slipped under the hem of her shirt and began roaming across her back. The heat that had begun pooling in her core intensified. His hand felt so good on her skin. She wanted him to touch her everywhere.

She broke the kiss, taking a step back. A low growl rumbled through Rowan, and Aelin couldn't help the satisfaction that rippled through her when she took in the hunger on his face. He reached out for her again, but before he could pull her back into his arms, Aelin raised her arms above her head and leveled a stare at Rowan. "Take it off." That smoldering hunger grew sharper as he reached for them hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it up and off of her body.

"You're so beautiful." One hand slid across her stomach, the other stroking up and down her side, occasionally running a thumb along the underside of her breast through her bra. He began trailing kisses along her jaw, down her neck, across her collarbone. His hands slid past her hips before settling on either thigh, and suddenly he was lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her head to the side to give him better access, her breath coming in shallow pants.

Rowan walked them across the room, his hands under her backside, and gently set her on the bed. "I've wanted to do this for so long," he whispered, lips soft against her neck. "Touch you like this." One hand ran along the plane of her torso while the other cupped her breast. "Kiss you like this." He trailed soft kisses back up her neck before his lips found hers again.

Aelin dug her fingers into the muscles of his back, her toes curling. Gods, she was going to combust.

Rowan settled his body against hers, pausing his work on her mouth to nip at her earlobe. She breathed his name, and he let out a ragged breath as he nuzzled her neck.

 _Alright. Her turn._ Aelin tightened her legs around his hips, put her hands on his shoulders, then twisted her body and flipped them over so that he was underneath her. He emitted a low hum and ran his eyes over her body. Her toes curled and she bit her lip as the heat in her core travelled lower. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders, down his chest. "I'm getting tired of this shirt of yours. I think it's time I took care of it for you."

He gave her a wicked grin and began running long strokes up and down her thighs. "By all means, princess." She smiled as she kissed him, arching her back against him as she began undoing the buttons of his shirt. Her mouth followed her progress, trailing across his chest, then his abdomen. By the time she got to the last button, her mouth was right above his belt buckle. She looked up into his eyes as she placed a slow kiss there, and his eyes fluttered shut. "Aelin." He sounded pained.

She slowly crawled back up to him, pushing his shirt off his shoulders to either side of his body. She put a hand to his heart, feeling it thundering just as fast as her own under her palm. His breathing turned ragged as she pressed a kiss to the hollow of his throat. Then her lips found their way to his again.

She lost track of the minutes passing. She was too lost in Rowan, her hands in his hair, feeling his warm skin against hers.

Finally, she pulled away, sitting up and bracing her hands on his chest. "We should probably go make sure Aedion and Lysandra didn't catching anything they shouldn't have on fire with their fire pit."

"Should we? I'm pretty okay with just doing this." He sat up, Aelin now in his lap, and wrapped his arms around her for emphasis. It was difficult to maintain the concentration to form words when he started gently sucking at the spot where her neck and shoulder met.

"Everyone is probably wondering where we are."

He snorted. "I have a feeling they already have a pretty good idea."

She couldn't help her growing smile. "Probably true." Rallying her willpower, Aelin drew away, standing. Cool air replaced the spot where Rowan's mouth had been seconds before, and she had to suppress a shiver. Looking back at him, she asked, "Are you actually pouting right now?"

His expression didn't change. "Maybe."

She put her hand on his neck and drew him in for another kiss. "We'll pick up where we left off, don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried." She felt his smile against her lips.

She gave his shoulder a little shove. "Bastard." Hips swaying, Aelin walked to her closet and pulled out an oversized sweater, slipping it on. "Come on, let's go."

He sighed, doing up the last button on his shirt and standing and extending a hand. Aelin took it, opened her door and led him out. Firelight was glowing outside the house, and laughter rang out in the night. They finally made it to the fire pit, greeted by shouts and whistles as they sat down in front of the fire.

Lysandra caught Aelin's eye, pointedly glancing at her and Rowan's joined hands before mouthing a congratulations. Aelin responded with a wide, happy grin, scooting closer into Rowan's side.

The night continued in a blur of laughter and firelight, and Aelin didn't think her heart had ever felt so full.


End file.
